Eligible for how long?
For how long you are eligible for student finance, depends on the course you are following.
MBO
Levels 1 and 2
| Eligible for how long
|
|
|---|---|
| Basic grant | As long as you are in MBO 1 or 2 |
| Supplementary grant | As long as you are in MBO 1 or 2 |
| Interest bearing loan | As long as you are in MBO 1 or 2 |
| Student travel product | As long as you are in MBO 1 or 2 |
Did you get student finance for MBO level 3 or 4 for 48 months or longer? Then you are no longer eligible for student finance for MBO level 1 or 2.
Levels 3 and 4
| Eligible for how long
|
|
|---|---|
| Basic grant | 4 years |
| Supplementary grant | 4 years |
| Interest bearing loan | 7 years |
| Student travel product | 7 years |
For a 4 year MBO course, you can get a maximum of 7 years of student finance. The basic grant and, depending on your parents’ income, the supplementary grant you will get for the first 4 years. After that, you can only borrow for 3 more years. You are eligible for the student travel product for the full 7 years.
Did you get student finance for HBO or university for 48 months or longer? Then you are no longer eligible for student finance for MBO.
Specialist course
For a specialist course (‘specialistenopleiding’) you can get 2 extra years of student finance and travel product.
HBO and university
4 year course or associate degree
| Eligible for how long | |
|---|---|
| Basic grant | 4 years |
| Supplementary grant | 4 years |
| Regular interest bearing loan | 7 years |
| Tuition fees loan | 7 years |
| Student travel product | 5 years |
For a 4 year course or associate degree at HBO or university, you can get a maximum of 7 years of student finance. The basic grant and, depending on your parents' income, the supplementary grant you will get for the first 4 years. After that, you can only borrow for 3 more years. You are eligible for the student travel product for 5 years. The type of diploma determines how many months will become a gift.
Longer course
If your course lasts for more than 4 years, you will get student finance and the travel product for longer. This also applies to some masters and courses for teachers.
Taking 2 courses at the same time
You will get student finance for the course that lasts the longest.
Are you registered for an MBO course and a course at HBO or university? Then you will get student finance for HBO or university. The duration of your HBO or university course determines de duration of your student finance.
How much student finance left?
Are you already receiving student finance? And do you want to know how many months you have left? Please check Mijn DUO. You can stop your student finance and entitlement to the student travel product in order to save it up for later.
Are you not applying for all components of student finance? Months during which you did not receive all components, still count as months that you have used up. Did you apply only for the student travel product, but didn’t you collect it? If so, you will still use up these months. You won’t be able to use them later. In this situation, cancel your student finance in full in Mijn DUO.
MBO to HBO
Are you switching from MBO to HBO? Your entitlement to student finance and the student travel product will start all over again. The months you have received for MBO, do not count for HBO. Your 10 year diploma period also starts over.
Often you will also receive student finance and the travel product between your old programme and your new programme. This is called ‘bridging payments’. Check with the programme update assistant.
Withdrawing during your 1st year
Are you following a MBO level 3 or 4, HBO or university course and withdrawing in your 1st year? Sometimes you do not have to repay the basic grant, supplementary grant and student travel product (performance grant). Read more about the first year scheme.
Use within 10 years
Are you in MBO level 3 or 4, HBO or university? Then you have 10 years to use up your student finance, starting the 1st month you received it. If there are any months left after those 10 years, you will lose them. This also applies to any months during which you are only eligible for a loan. There is 1 exception: if you transfer from MBO to HBO, your 10 year period will start over.
For MBO levels 1 and 2 it doesn’t matter for how long you use student finance.